This follow-up study investigated the associations of childhood learning disabilities (LDs) with adult-age anxiety, depression, and unemployment. Psychosocial problems in childhood and psychiatric diagnoses and lack of education in adolescence were studied as potential mediators, and gender and mother’s education as potential moderators of these associations. Data on childhood clinical neuropsychological assessments and lifelong register data on individuals with childhood LD (n = 430; 301 [70%] males; 20–39 years of age) and matched controls (n = 2,149) were applied. Mediation analyses were performed using structural equation modeling. Childhood LDs exerted a significant, but relatively small effect on psychiatric diagnoses in adolescence, which predicted adult-age depression and anxiety. LDs were related to unemployment both directly and via psychiatric diagnoses in adolescence. Examination of differences in the effects on adult-age outcomes of subtypes of LDs revealed mathematical disability to be more strongly associated with psychosocial problems in childhood and psychiatric problems in adolescence and adulthood than reading disability. Our findings show that LD has small and mostly indirect effects on the risk for later well-being problems. The findings emphasize the importance of adolescence in predicting adult-age psychiatric and employment problems and call for more holistic support for individuals with LDs.

这项后续研究调查了儿童学习障碍 (LD) 与成年焦虑、抑郁和失业的关联。儿童时期的心理社会问题和精神病诊断以及青春期缺乏教育被研究为潜在的中介因素，性别和母亲的教育作为这些关联的潜在调节因素。儿童临床神经心理学评估数据和儿童 LD 个体（n = 430；301 [70%] 男性；20-39 岁）和匹配对照（n= 2,149）。使用结构方程模型进行中介分析。童年 LD 对青春期的精神病诊断产生显着但相对较小的影响，可预测成年期的抑郁和焦虑。LD 与失业直接相关，也通过青春期的精神病诊断与失业相关。对 LD 亚型对成年期结果影响的差异的检查表明，数学障碍与儿童期的心理社会问题以及青春期和成年期的精神问题比阅读障碍更密切相关。我们的研究结果表明，LD 对以后健康问题的风险影响很小，而且主要是间接影响。